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Should religion and politics ever mix?

(cross-posted in P&CE)

I know we have separation of church and state here in America, but that does not mean that religious ideals (mainly Christian) don't influence decisions our country makes. I honestly believe that is the main reason why the government wont allow homosexuals to get married in America.

Rhanford, that's simply not true. Congress starts each session with prayer, and school employees, including teachers, are allowed to pray--on their own time. The only time it isn't allowed under the law is if it interferes with instructional time or the teacher coerces the students to pray with him/her or attempts to impose his/her religious beliefs on the students or other staff. I strongly disagree with starting Congress with a prayer, as that teeters too closely in conflict with the Establishment Clause. A moment of silence would be fine, however.

I like to keep my religion and politics separate butmy religion is part of who I am so I know my politics is influenced by my beliefs.

However people can vote any way they want and it doesn't have to make sense to anybody else. Whatever factors that have influenced our laws came about because we voted it in. I blame the people who don't vote but aren't happy about the government we have more then the people who put them in office in the first place. The country is run by groups who can be counted on in an election, if we change who shows up consistently to vote we would change the government.

To where the politics control the religion, or the religion control the politics HELLZ NO! But if a government employee has a religion that should not matter. If a police man wishes to pray over his lunch, he should be allowed to. If a teacher asks time to pray and brings her prayer mat to work, that shouldn't be an issue. But unfornutaly those are the examples we are seeing today. The government is getting ready to control religion, but it seems it's forbidden from government employees to have religion...

I honestly don't see how you can completely separate politics and religious beliefs. A Christian (for example) who's a politician is going to make decisions based on what they believe to be moral or ethical. Likewise, an Atheist politician will make decisions based on what THEY believe is moral or ethical. No matter how you slice it, you cannot have a completely neutral government - the government is comprised of individuals with various religious and philosophical beliefs that influence their decisions.